GFA Division I KO Q/final
Kercem Ajax Stadium
Gharb R : 0
D. Spiteri, A. Sultana, J. Azzopardi, J.P. Grima (J. Camenzuli), D. Stojanovic, B. Polo Longarela, M. Bezzina, P. Dorovic, J. Portelli, C. Attard, E. Tawiah (L. Meilak).
Victoria H : 2 (E. Da Silva 69’, E. Lattes 75’)
A. Parnis, L. Grima (J. Tabone), J. Bajada, K. Farrugia, D. Sowatey, F. Apap, C. Mercieca (A. Debrincat), E. Lattes, E. Da Silva, H. Maciel, C. Camilleri (A. Azzopardi).
Victoria Hotspurs managed to earn qualification to the semi-0final stage of the Knock Out competition for the first division with a win over Gharb Rangers. Victoria’s win turned out to be more difficult than expected as Gharb confirmed their positive performances in their previous matches in other competitions of Gozitan football. The Hotspurs as expected saw more of the ball throughout the ninety minutes but they found it extremely difficult to open the score. The two goals that decided the issue arrived midway through the second half, where the quality of Victoria’s striker’s made the difference to break the deadlock.
The Hotspurs tried to take command of play from the very beginning but Gharb were well deployed and the actions at goal were quite rare. On 14 minutes Victoria’s Elton Da Silva entered the area with a personal move from the right flank but his low cross passed in front of Gharb’s goal without finding any Victoria player to meet the inviting ball. Two minutes later Gharb replied with a shot from outside the area by Michael Bezzina that ended wide and on 23 minutes the Hotspurs created a potential scoring opportunity when Ferdinando Apap passed through a number of Gharb players with a personal action from, exchanged the ball outside the area with Chris Camilleri, but the same Apap prolonged his action as he entered the area and missed the opportunity to conclude towards goal. Three minutes later a strike by Victoria’s Emiliano Lattes after receiving from Christian Mercieca ended just over the crossbar and on 32 minutes a header by Daniel Sowatey following a corner action was deflected to a corner. The Hotspurs went very close to open the score on 34 minutes but a direct free kick by Chris Camilleri was stopped by the post. Gharb almost surprised their more quoted opponents in the third minute of stoppage time before the break as a direct free kick by Predrag Dorovic was saved in two attempts by goalie Adrian Parnis.
After the resumption the Hotspurs increased their pressure on Gharb’s rearguard. On 512 minutes a curling shot from an angled position by Elton Da Silva ended over Gharb’s goal and two minutes later Gharb’s goalie Daniel Spiteri was well placed to neutralise a strike from outside the area by Emiliano Lattes. Gharb replied on 56 minutes with a cross shot by substitute Luke Meilak that almost surprised goalie Adrian Parnis but the ball ended just over the crossbar. Victoria opened the score on 24 minutes when Elton Da Silva released himself from a direct opponent inside Gharb’s area and fired in goal from an angled position. Gharb almost levelled the score three minutes later when Victoria’s goalie Adrian had a clearance from his area that was blocked by Borja Polo Longarela but the ball ended just wide when the goal was unattended. The Hotspurs however put their minds at rest from the qualification on 75 minutes when they doubled the score through a shot from an angled position by Emiliano Lattes following a personal action. In the following minutes the Hotspurs continued to produce pressure on Gharb’s defence and in more than one occasion goalie Daniel Spiteri and the defensive department cleared the danger from their area with some difficulty. Gharb however tried to operate breaks in an attempt to re-open the issue but the closest that they went to scoring was on 86 minutes, through a shot by Michael Bezzina that was saved by goalie Adrian Parnis, and a shot by Christian Attard in the second minute of stoppage time that ended wide.
Referee: Joseph Xerri
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